Rotary explosion engine



June 16, 1931.. F B, MARVlN 1,810,082

ROTARY EXPLOS ION ENGINE ATTORNEY June 16, 1931. F B MARVlN 1,810,082

ROTARY EXPLOS ION ENGINE Filed Deo. 19, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 wrom/Er June 16, 1931. F. B. MARVIN ROTARY EXPLOSION ENGINE Filed Dec. 19, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheec 3 s ATTORNEY WITNESS l June 16, 1931.

F. B. MARVIN ROTARY EXPLOSION ENGINE Filed Dec. 19I 1925 WITNESS www.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F, B. MARVIN June 16,1931.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec.

/NVENTH ATTORNEY Patented June 16, i931 unirse STATES FREDERICK B. MARVIN, OF MATAIVLOBAS, PENNSYLVANIA ARoulant? Expresion niveausv 'Application filed Deeemberl), 1925. Serial No. 76,3857.

In my Letters Patent No. 1,366,919 I have disclosed a. rotary explosion engine of the class in which the two principal components, the motor and the compressor for applying e the compressed charge thereto, comprise each a piston with a piston head or heads and a circular'cylinder with an abutment or abutments movable into and out of the path of the piston head or heads and when in the path le thereof being adapted to coact therewith in confining the charge, in the case of the motor, and compressino` the charge, in the case of thecompressor. ly present invention contemplates certain improvements in engines of this class, among which, for example, are the following: (l) The movable abutments in the present engine are moved inward `and outward by electro-magnetic means, as solenoids, thereby relieving the rotor of the resistance 23 opposed by the abutments. (2) Parts on the piston are subjected to a control calculated to offset the action of centrifugal force thereon and so reduce the friction betweenthem and the cylinder and the resistance and wear incident thereto. (3) Provision is made so that each charge may be fired before the piston head is ready to assume the driving force resulting from explosion; in other words', for obtaining a condition in a rotary 2o engine analogous to what is known as advanced spark in reciprocating explosion engines, or explosion in that case while the piston is approaching the closed end of the cylinder. (4) Provision is made for the fluid compressed by the compressor being stored as a non-explosive fluid (fair) and for only what is then taken for each driving impulse being converted into a combustible within the space in effect an ante-chamber of the working or cylinder space where the firing occurs. The delivery of the fuel for rendering the liuid combustible is effected by utilizing the pressure of the stored fluid body,

and in such a way as to effect carburetion. (6) Provision is made for improved cooling of the engine in general and the cooling and scavenging ofthe motor in particular.

In the engine herein illustrated there are shown a motor and a compressor on each side of a space formed between them for storage of the fluid delivered by the two compressors, the motors being next to the said-space; and each motor and compressor has two diametrically opposite pistons and movable abutments, those of each motor and compressor being offset 90O with respect to those of the other motor and compressor, respectively.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is aleft-side elevation of the lefthand motor in Fig. 3 (the left-hand compressor being removed), a portion appearing in section partly in a plane substantially central of said motor and partly in a plane substantially central of the accumulator A;

Fig. 2 is a left-side elevation of the lefthand compressor, partly in section in a plane substantially centralof said compressor; Fig. 2a is a detail of Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the engine substantially in part on the line 1 1 of Fig. l and in part on line 2 2 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on substantially line 4 4, Fig. 1, looking upward;

Fig. 5 is a section on line5-5, Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken in a plane substantially centrally between the two motors; e n

Fig. 7 shows in section a detail involving the means for delivery of compressed airl and of the fuel; 1 Y

Fig. 8 is an underneath plan, partly in section, of what is seen in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9 9, Fig. 8;

Figs. 10 andV 11 are `diagrams of the electric systems.

In certain general respects the construction of the present engine corresponds tothat of my aforesaid patented engine. Thus, to produce the tubular annulus which forms the n cylinder a of each engine and bof `each compressor, Vthe same: having outwardly projecting housings c and d, respectively, there are provided substantially counterpart sections having outward flanges a 7J whereby to secure the sections together as by bolts e shown in Fig. 3) e and inward flanges a2 b2 somewhat spaced from each other. The ad; joining flanges a2 of the two motor cylinders a are joined by a cylindrical wall f concentric with the several cylinders, which are all concentric with respect to eachother; and the other two flanges a2 of the motor cylinders are joined to the cylinders of the two compressors. Such joining may be effected by welding or otherwise. The group of cylinders, thus arranged and connected, form the stator of the engine. The rotor includes a shaft g, four disks ZL 2' fixed (in any way) to rotate therewith, two of these (Zz) being interposed between and in face to face contact with the flanges a2 of the motor cylinders and the other two interposed between and in face to face contact with the flanges b2 of the compressor cylinders. A chamber A-exists (see Fig. 3) in the space around the shaft formed between the compressor cylinders andnby them, the motor cylinders and the wall f the disks ZL preferably have openings h l(Figs. 3 and 6), so that said space is in effect 'un-divided by these Lclislrs. The chamber A is closed excepting vas hereinafter indicated. The Vdisks ZL and 2' respectively have at their perimeters semi-cylindrical (outwardly channeled) annuli j and Ze which are lreceived by and fit within the cylinders a and Z), respectively. The rotor forms a group of .pistons when provided with the piston heads :and when the several cylinders are equipped `(in the housings c and (Z) with the -movable abutments as hereinafter explained. To each motor or compressor there are in the presen-t example only two piston heads and two abutments, the same being diametrically opposite each other, those of one Imotor (or compressor) being offset 90C with respecttothose of the other.

The movable abutments Z and m of the motors and compressors, respectively, and the means'for actuating them are all substantially alike, except, as in my patented engine, the abutments of the motors and compressors are relatively reversed so that in both cases they Apresent their convex faces to the pressure; so the following explanation with reference to one of them (a motor abutment) will serve for all. The head Z of the abutment Z is formed V-shaped in plan (Fig. 4), its 'lateral portions traveling in ways n formed in the sides of the housing c and the cylinder a having a V-shaped opening o through which the head moves.; the shank Z2 of the abutment is pivoted in a bearing block p subject'to the adjusting pressure of a setscrew g.

The bearing portion yor trunnion Z3 of the abutment protrudes from the housing c and carries `a crank Z4. The abutment itself and the lprolongation thereof formed by crank Z4 have stems Z5 curved to the arc of a circle around trunnion Z3 and projecting in opposite directions and these are received by magnetic coils r fixed one in an extension c of the housin'gand the other in a lateral housing extension c fixed to the side of such eX- tension, the arrangement of the stems with respect to the coils (which therewith form solenoids) being such that when either coil is energized (the other being then deenergized) the corresponding stein is drawn into the coil; thus the abutment may be shifted first one way and then the other. The control of the current for energizing the coils will be later described. The stem is insulated from the abutment as shown in Fig. Qa at 7^. I

rlhe piston heads for the motors are shown at s. ltach extends in length 90 of a circle and is preferably hollow. Each is fitted with packing rings t, occupying circumferential grooves u therein, and centrifugal force acting on these packing rings, which are slightly loose in the grooves, to force them outwardly against the cylinder and so set up undue friction, with consequent wear, and also resistance and interference with corners in the cylinder where openings exist, is opposed by levers o which are housed and pivoted in the piston head and each of which has one end o adapted to bear against the inside surfaces of the rings and press them inwardly when, the piston being in rotation, centrifugalv force acts on the weighted opposite end o2 of the lever. rlhe piston heads fw for the compressors are of shorter length, but they have also packing rinO's :c set in grooves y therein and they house levers e which, due to the centrifugal force acting on their weighted ends e2 when the compressor pistons are in rotation, at their inner ends e press the rings inward in the way already explained. The piston heads s of the motors and those, i0, of the compressors have cam ribs s and w', respectively, to insure the outward and ease the inward movements of the movable abutments Z and m when the rotor is turned, especially when this is done without said abutments being magnetically actuated, as in turning the engine over by hand.

The chamber A forms an accumulator or reservoir into which atmospheric air is pumped by the two compressors and in which a pressure may be maintained sufficient to render each charge admitted to the motor ignitible and for assisting in starting the engine. The air for delivery to this chamber is taken into each compressor through intake ports 2 and intake port groups 3 in the outer lateral walls of the cylinder ZJ and piston 7c, respectively. The air so taken into thecompresser, which occurs vwhile each head w is moving away from one movable abutment m and nearly to the next, is forced into chamber A by the following head, just before the latter reaches a movable abutment and such abutment begins to move outward, through exhaust ports 4, 5 in the inner lateral walls of the piston and cylinder, respectively, one such port being shown in Fig. 2 as just having passedthe complementary port 5, since the next abutment m is about to move outwardly. f

In the case of the motors of my present engine the intake asv well as the exhaust is effected at the perimeters of the pistons, whose annuli j are channeled, at least between the piston heads s. A part of each housing c, partitioned off from the portion in which abutment Z is contained, forms an ante-chamber 6 opening into cylinder a, and this com municates by a passage 7 (Fig. 3) with the chamber A; the intake to the cylinder from this ante-chamber is close to and at the pressure side of said abutment (Fig. 1). Approximately 90 from each of thesepoints and for a distance of another 90 the cylinder is radially outwardly open, as at 8, forming the exhaust outlet, the opening being covered by a shield or housing 9 which terminates in a bifurcated or twin-outlet 10 straddling housing c (Fig. 4). For cooling, and also to increase the mufliing effect of housing 9, I provide in the latter transverse partitions or louvers 11 set more or less radially. To

I= Duide the iston rin s over the o eninto an-r techamber 6 and those between the louvers such openings may be traversed by bridges 6 and 11 (Figs. 3 and 4). During 'every other quarter revolution of the engine the spaces 6 of each motor, forming ante-chambers to the cylinder thereof, are cut off from the latter by the piston heads, being fully open thereto during the other quarter revolutions. 1When the ante-chambers are thus cut off from the cylinders the compressed charge (airffrom the chamber A, with carbureted fuel) is admitted to them and fired more or less-according to the will of the operator-in advance of the piston reaching the terminus of the quarter revolution corresponding to such cutting olf of the ante-chambers. The means for admitting the air from chamber A to the ante-chambers and for also admitting the fuel, and for then firing the charge will now be explained: Y

In chamber A, concentric with its annular wall'f, is an annular valve 12 xed-to rotate with the pistons, as bybeing secured to disks 7L. It has at diametrically opposite points two ports 13 and 14, the latterY be-V hind (with respect to the direction of rotation) and longer than the other. Port 13 is somewhat ahead of the forward end of the adjoining piston head s and so serves to adl 1 mit. air from chamber A through passage 7 to the ante-chamber, for scavenging the same in particulark and more or less also the part of the cylinder space ahead of said piston head; port 14 is just back of the forward end of said piston head and so serves to admit air from chamber A through passage 7 to the ante-chamber by that time cut ofiI from the cylinder by such piston head. The valve. by its two sets of diametrically oppositeports 13 and 14, controls the scavenging and the air-supply for both motors. If a valve is used (such as the ring 23 in my said patent) for cutting off the two motors from the accumulator A at one or more of the four points of vcommunication therewith, said valve (denoted 15) is interposed between wall f and valve 12 (Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 7) and has a projecting arm 16 (Fig. 7) whereby to oscillate forms ya piston 22m a piston chamber 23, f-

having a port 24. This port extends though the wall f and serves to admit air from accumulator A to the pis-ton chamber, so as to retract valve 21 and allow fuel delivery to passage 7. Said port is lcontrolled by valve 12 which, laterally of each port 14, has

a port 25 adapted to register with port 24, thereby to admit the pressure to thek piston chamber from the accumulator. Each port 25 Vextends short of the rear endof the corresponding port 14 and at a point relatively vforward of said 'rear endr of port 14 and in the path of port 24 at a port 26 (formed as a groove. in the outer face of valve 12) may lead to the atmosphere through a port 27 when it registers therewith, whereby the pressure admitted to the piston chamber finds relief and allows valve 21 to reseat to shut off the fuel supply on or before the port 14 shuts on' the air supply to passage 7. In 3,

order that according as one, two, three or all four cylinders are to function there may be selective control of the fuel the same as there is selective control of air, as above described,

the valve 15 has ports 17 arranged so as to uncover first one, vthen two, then three and then all fourv ports 24; a sectional view of the valve taken in a plane parallel with that of Fig. 6 would show these ports the ,same

in number and arrangement as the .ports 17 jf" so the showing of the valve in thatligure will server to illustrate the. arrangement of those ports 17.

'In addition to the cooling means afforded by the 'vanes 11, which expose a large aggregate of radiating surface to the greater part of each of two opposite quadrants of each motor, the motor and compression cylinders are equipped with cooling vanes or'louvers 28.

Any means (not shown) to permit escape of excess Ypressure 'accumulating in chamber VA, as'when one or more of the ante-chambers are cut-oft" therefrom, may beprovided;

The firing vis done in each ante-chamber by a spark-plug 29. The compressed air and 18 leads from a suitable fuel l the fuel being admitted to any one antechamber' at any time after one of the piston heads closes yoff said chamber from the cylinder, at a suitable time thereafter, as while said chamber is still closed olf (or it may be after the piston head passes and the chamber is open to the cylinder.) ignition is effected. The advance or the retarding of the igniton may be effected `by any means, as by that illustrated in Fig. 10 which shows at 30 a known form of manually oscillated timer having the terminals of four grounded conductors 31 containing vibrators 32 and the respective spark-plugs 29; and which shows at 33 a circuit closer rotating with the shaft g and wiping against the brush terminal 34; of a groundd conductor 35 containing an energy source 36, said circuit-closer having two diametrically opposite contacts 37 to engage the terminals two ata time..

Given a source o-f fluid energy, as electricity, the solenoids form part of means, including a switch controlled by the rotor, for applying energy from said source to move the abutments back and forth. This is shown by the diagram Fig. 1l, only the two pairs of solenoids forl one pair of abutments appearing. From ground a conductor 38 leads through a suitable source of energy 39 to a stationary brush 40 which bears against the ring 41 of a distributor rotating with shaft The contacts 41 of this ring are adapted to wipe against stationary brushes 42 which form terminalsof grounded leads 43 each containing a solenoid coil. then the distributor is in rotation the current is directed through first those solenoid coils for the two abutments which move the latter outward and then through the coils which move the abutment inward, and so on, alternately.

In rotary internal combustion engines as heretofore proposed Athe firing and consequent impelling action of the combustible uid .are unduly delayed because the admission thereo-f takes place directly into the cylinder and the piston must move a more or less distance before the intake can be closed. In my motor, since the fluid is introduced in each case into an ante-chamber, the firing can be made to occur either when the piston has progressed more or less through its` stroke, or at or before the beginning -of the stroke (the ante-chamber being then of course closed off from the supply) so that the impelling action may begin coincident with the inception of the stroke as well as later in the stroke; in the latter case, the explosion acts against the side of the pistonhead, the term side as used here and inthe appended claims being taken to mean a surface of the piston head that faces laterally with reference to the direction of travel of such head. The ante-chambers 6 are partitioned off from the movable abutments, whereby the latter are isolated from the explosions occurring in said ante-chambers and they are protected from interference by and the shock of the explosions.

As explained, the bridges 6 and 11 guide the packing rings t of the piston past the openings to the ante-chambers. ings 0 in which the heads of the movable abutments Z move are formed V-shaped for a similar purpose, the arrangement of the relatively forward side of each leg of the V on the bias with respect to the relatively forward -sides of the packing rings insuring against impact of the forward edges of the rings against the corresponding edges of the openings 0, forward being here used with reference to the direction of rotation of the piston.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A rotary machine substantially as herein set forth including, in combination, rotor and stator elements forming one a piston and the other a circular cylinder and one having a head interrupting the continuity of the cylinder space, an abutment coactive with said head to confine the charge and pivoted in the other element to move into and out of the way of said head, and electro-magnetic means to move the abutment back and forth including an electric circuit and a source of energy ther-ein, oppositely acting solenoid coils in the circuit, cores operatively connected with the abutment and respectively arranged to be moved by the coils, said coils and cores being curved to arcs concentric with the path of movement of said abutment, and means, controlled by the rotor, to switch the current to said coils alternately.

2. In combination, a piston having a head adapted to move in and ci 1cuitously of the circular stator cylinder of a rotary machine, a piston ring embracing and of a greater interior diameter than the portion of said head embraced thereby and movable bodily substantially radially of its path-of movement and relatively to the head, and centrifugally actuated means, movable in the piston and adapted to bear against an inner surface of the ring, for controlling the radial movement of the ring.

3. ln combination, rotor and stator elements forming one a piston and the other a circular cylinder and respectively having abutments interrupting the continuity of the cylinder space and one of which is movable into and out of the way of the other, the ele- `ment forming the cylinder having an antechamber provided with an outlet to the cylinder space, means to supply a. scavenging fluid to said ante-chamber before the abutment of the other element in a cycle of the rotor element radially opposes the outlet, means thereupon to supply a combustible charge to said ante-chamber, and rotor-con- The opentrolled means to fire said charge Within the ante-chamber and against the side of the piston abutment While the rotor is moving.

4. In combination, rotor and stator elements forming one the piston and the other the cylinder of a motor, a source of compressed air, means for conducting the compressed air from said source to the interior of the cylinder, means to deliver fuelinto the cylinder, and motor-controlled means, actuated by the compressed air, to control the fuel delivery means.

5. ln combination, rotor and stator elements forming one the piston and the other the cylinder of a motor, a source of compressed air, means for conducting the compressed air from said source to th-e interior of the cylinder, a fuell conducting means discharging into said air conducting means, a valve device to control said fuel conducting means, means to conduct the compressed air to said valve device to actuate the same, and a rotor-controlled valve controlling the lastnamed means.

6. A rotary internal combustion machine substantially as herein set forth including, in combination, rotor and stator elements forming onea circular cylinder and the other a piston contained in the cylinder, said stator and rotor forming together an enclosed space with respect to Which said cylinder is Wholly exterior thereof, means to store air under pressure in said space, means to conduct air from said space to said cylinder, a valve rotating with the rotor for at times closing off said conducting means, and means, controlled by such valve, for admitting fuel to the conducting means from a source eX- terior of said space and thereupon ring the fuel at the cylinder side of thevalve When the valve is closed.

7. A rotary machine substantially as herein set forth including a'circular cylinder, a rotary piston having a head movable in the cylinder and a packing element movable to- Ward and from the axis of rotation of the piston, and an abutment movable intol and out of the path of said head, the Acylinder having an opening in which said abutment moves, and the relatively forward sides of said element and opening being formed so as to stand in bias relation to each other When said element passes the opening.

8. A rotary machine substantially as herein set forthincluding, in combination, rotor and stator elements forming one a piston and the other a circular cylinder and one having ahead interrupting the continuity of the cylinder space, an abutment coactive With said head to confine the charge and pivotally movable back and forth in the'other element into and out of the Way of said head and having a crank, vvsolenoid cores connected With said abutment and its crank, and an electro-magnetic means to move the abutment back and forth including an electric circuit having a source of energy therein, oppositely acting solenoid coils in the circuit receiving said cores and means, controlled by the rotor, to switch the current to said coils alternately.

In testimony Whereof'I affix my signature.

FREDERICK B. MARVIN. 

